Cellulosic product



Dec. 20, 1960 K HARWQOD 2,965,224

CELLULOSIC PRODUCT Filed Sept. 20, 1957 3' INVENTOR KENNETH J. HARWOODByfim My,

ATTORNEY United States Patent "ice 2,965,224 cELLULosIc PRODUCT KennethJ Harwood,-Neenah, Wis., assignor to Kimberly- Clark Corporation,Neenah, Wis., a corporation of Delaware Filed Sept. 20, 1951, see. No'.685,091

3 Claims. c1. zoo-s1) I Theinvention relates to a dispensingpackage andparticularly to reinforcing adjacent a line of severance or weakening ina wall of the package.

A line of severance or weakening with strip reinforcing afiixed adjacentthereto is shown in the US. patent to Reitman, No. 2,418,526. An objectof the invention is to provide a lap-over fold in the wall of thepackage so as to in effect provide three layers of wall or wrapperthickness adjacent a severance line rather than to apply a separatestrip as in Reitman.

Another object of the invention is to provide a wrapper to form the wallwhich is of heat scalable material and to make a fold in the wall sothat a plurality of thicknesses of the wall are provided and securedtogether adjacent a rupturable tear line placed in the wall parallel tothe fold.

A still further object of my invention is to provide a reinforcementadjacent a severance line in a wrapper wall of a package so that thereinforcement is made as a unitary part of the wall by folding a portionof the wall upon itself and sealing the overlying portions of the walltogether.

A further object of my invention is to provide a pair of spaced apartfolded and secured together portions in a wall of a package and arupturable line spaced therein between such folded portions so that whenthe rupturable line is severed to afford access into the package throughthe wall, a well defined tear only along the rupturable severance lineis developed, thus making a pleasing and neat appearing opened package.

A still further object of the invention is to provide in a wrap-per wallof a package adjacent a severance line of perforations therein amultiple thickness of the wrapper wall by folding the wall upon itselfand securing the overlying wall portions together thereby stiffening theside of the package containing the perforated line and rendering lesslikely the unintentional tearing of the wall along the perforated line.

Another further object of my invention is to provide in an economicalmanner a wrapper for a package of stacked articles such as tissue piecesto be dispensed from the package by providing a perforated severanceline in the wrapper that may be severed and adjacent each side of theperforated line in the Wrapper providing a reinforcement by folding aportion of the wrapper upon itself and sealing together the overlyingportions whereby a relatively less flexible wall is afforded in the areaof the severance line to prevent unintentional severance during handlingand to afford a reinforced dispensing aperture after severance whichdoes not tear as tissue pieces or the like are pulled through suchaperture.

Still further objects and the entire scope of applicability of thepresent invention will become apparent from the detailed descriptiongiven hereinafter.

It should be understood, however, that the detailed description andspecific example is given by way of illustration only, and, whileindicating the preferred embodiment of the invention, is not given byway of limitation,

2,965,224 Patented Dec. 20,1960

2. since various and modifications within the spirit andscepe or theinvention will b ecome apparent to those skilled in'the' art from thisdetaileddescription, H r,

Fig, 1 perspective view of a package having rein forcern t in the' topand end walls adjacent the perforated line according tothe invention; 7 v

Fig; 2" is a perspective view similar to Fig'. 1 showing the tear linesevered in thetop and a tissue piecejorlthe like" partially pulled outthrough the opening as formed ay ever'nceorthe tear or perforated line;-I

Fig; '3 a" ffag'inentary view, of the wrapper in pr s ofbeirigfoildedupon itself adjacent atear line therebe tween in'makirfg tliereinforceinents ;and v a H M Fig. 4 is a view similar to Eig. 3 v viththe folded over reinforcing portions secured,closelytogether. v

t wareh ue a n figu of his dr w n as t e description like referencenumerals refer to similar parts.

A pocket package of folded cellulosic tissues or the like is typicallyindicated at 10 of right parallelopiped shape having an outer wrapper 11of cellulosic material suitably treated for heat sealing. It enclosesfolded tissue pieces such as partially removed tissue piece 12. Thewrapper 11 is folded over at the ends 13 and 14 and heat sealed orotherwise secured.

To make the tissues accessible from the pocket pack and to maintain itsneat package appearance there is provided according to the invention aperforated line 15 which may be opened by the fingernail run along thetop wall 16 as at 15'. In order to provide stiffening on each side ofthe perforated line 15 to retain the perforated line 15 withoutintentional severance and to provide a stiffening adjacent each side ofthe line 15 to afford a clean straight opening when pressure is appliedto the perforated line, as by the fingernail run therealong, a pair offolds generally indFcated at 17 and 18 are provided in the wrapper 11.After the line has been severed as at 15' there is thus provided adispensing opening that has the reinforcing or stiffening thereadjacentformed by the fold portions so that after severance the dispensingaperture does not tear as tissue pieces 12 or the like are pulledtherethrough.

A typical pocket package of tissue has the approximate width of 2%", alength of about 4 /2" and an approximate thickness of A". The feature ofthe reinforced wrapper for dispensing purposes may be utilized in othersizes and types of packages. In Fig. 4 the fold portions are sealedtogether as by application of heat to the heat sealable wrapper 11. Theymay be secured together by adhesive applied in the abutting areas of therespective portions 17a, 17b, 17c and 18a, 18b and 180.

Reference to Fig. 4 shows that the width of the folds are approximatelyand the distance to the centers of the respective folds l7 and 18 fromthe perforation line 15 as indicated at a and b is about A In the makeup of the package a reinforcing piece of stiffening material (not shown)may be used as a base on which the folded tissue pieces are stacked inthe package.

While there is here illustrated a package utilizing the novelreinforcing features in combination with a rupturable line, theinvention equally as well applies to wrapper sheets which may later beutilized as wrappers making up dispensing packages. Although in thepreferred embodiment of the invention there is utilized a cellulosicmaterial suitably treated to make it heat scalable, the wrapper may bemade of non-cellulosic heat scalable materials. For example,thermoplastic films such as polyethylene, vinyl chloride, vinyl acetateand the like, may be used. Such reinforcements in combination with arupturable line may be readily made by suitable machines incorporating aperforating operation accompanied by folding operations and sealingtogether of folded portions,

I claim as my invention:

1. A dispensing package of stacked folded tissues comprising a wrappersheet folded and sealed around said tissues and means for forming adispensing slot having reinforced edges in said wrapper, said meanscomprising a pair of closely spaced parallel folded over portions insaid Wrapper sheet, each said folded over portion comprising at leastthree thicknesses of said wrapper sheet secured together in overlappingrelationship, and a rupturable tear line in said wrapper sheet betweensaid pair of folded over portions.

2. A dispensing package of articles comprising a wrapper sheet ofcellulosic material, said wrapper sheet being treated so as to heheat-sealable, said wrapper sheet being folded and sealed around saidarticles to enclose them,

and means for forming a dispensing opening having reinforced edges insaid wrapper sheet, said means comprising a pair of closely spacedparallel folded over portions in said wrapper sheet, each said foldedover portion comprising at least three thicknesses of said wrapper sheetwith at least two 'of said thicknesses being heat sealed together inoverlapping relationship, and a rupturable tear line in said wrappersheet between said pair of folded over portions.

3. A package wrapper comprising a heat-scalable sheet and means forforming an opening having reinforced edges in said sheet, said meanscomprising a pair of closely spaced parallel folded over portions insaid sheet, each said folded over portion comprising at least threethicknesses of said sheet with at least two of said thicknesses beingheat sealed together in overlapping relationship, and a rupturable tearline in said sheet between said pair of foldedover portions.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS

